Episode
28. Critical Minerals, Critical Choices: Trade, Justice, and the Energy Transition
- Podcast
- In Our Backyard Podcast
- Published
- Feb 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1162
- Processing state
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Summary
As the world transitions toward a clean energy future, there is more demand for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements. These minerals are essential for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and even our everyday electronics. But where do these minerals come from? Who controls their extraction? Who bears the environmental and human costs? How can we ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy doesn’t repeat the extractive injustices of the past? Today, we’re joined by Will Jamil Wiltschko, who is with the California Trade Justice Coalition, a coalition of organizations working to ensure that Critical Mineral Agreements adhere to international climate, labor, and human rights standards. Contact and connect: https://criticalmineralsjustice.org/ https://gtwaction.org/the-deadly-cost-of-cobalt-mining-in-the-congo/